Various garments, having a pant-like configuration and being useful as incontinence garments, menstrual garments, training garments, diapers, and the like, are commercially available, as well as being disclosed in various patents.
For instance, machine washable, and thus reusable, incontinence briefs having seams, and having an absorbent HYDREX™ pad sewn into the crotch area can be purchased from the Carol Wright Gifts catalog under item nos. 57943, 57968, and 52043, or from www.amazon.com under item no. B00008650I (sold by Lady Grace) or under item no. B0002KQXR2 (sold by National). Additionally of background interest is U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,569 to Van Gompel, et al., which discloses a disposable (not machine washable) panty having an absorbent barrier composite pad positioned in the crotch area.
Also of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,149 to Larson, which discloses a menstrual panty having a pocket sewn into the crotch area, the pocket being for receiving an absorbent disposable menstrual pad. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,356 to Tong discloses a urinary incontinence panty having a pouch connected in the crotch area and adapted to receive an absorbent disposable urinary incontinence pad. Another sanitary panty garment with a pocket in the crotch area is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,686 to Woskin.
The crotch area of a menstrual or incontinence garment may be impregnated, coated or laminated with a barrier film which prevents or retards movement of liquid out of the garment and onto the wearer's legs. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,419 to Gold shows an undergarment to be worn by an incontinent person, the garment having a modified polyester-polyurethane impregnated into the crotch portion of the garment. Also, the above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,569 to Van Gompel, et al. shows that adjacent the absorbent barrier composite pad is a barrier film, which is a microporous film produced by Mitsui and sold by consolidated Thermoplastics under the trademark ESPOIR® N-TAF-CT. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,950 to Branch shows the crotch area of a sanitary menses panty lined with a non-woven barrier film that permits the passage of gases such as water vapor but prevents the passage of liquids such as blood and urine, and which is a polyurethane, microporous film sold under the trademark TENDERCARE® by Spenco Medical or under the trademark DUREFLEX® by Deerfield Urethane, Inc. Of background interest is a reusable, washable diaper pad disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,991 to Gilles, et al.; the diaper pad has a liquid-absorbent, stitch-bonded layer, sold by Cortaulds Limited under the trade name GALAXY™, and has an outer layer of waterproof polyurethane barrier film that is bonded to the stitch-bonded layer.
Also of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,621 to Redwine, et al. This patent discloses an undergarment useful with an absorbent article, particularly a menstrual pad of the type that has an adhesive layer covered with a peel off strip that is removed so that the pad can be adhered to the crotch area of the garment. The garment is free of side, front, and back seams, and has improved construction over previous such seamless garments in order to provide a snug fit about the wearer.
The disclosures of all patents, which are mentioned here, are incorporated here by reference.